Rochester, NY – Single tickets for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)’s 2017/18 season go on sale next Friday, July 28 at 10 a.m. online at rpo.org, by phone at (585) 454-2100, or in person at the RPO’s Patron Services Center at 108 East Avenue and at all Wegmans That’s T.H.E. Ticket! locations.

“We have an incredible season planned, with drama, romance, passion, and power as central themes, presented in many different forms throughout the year,” says RPO Music Director Ward Stare. As always, audiences will experience music they know and love while hearing many new sounds along the way. There truly is something for everyone in our dynamic season ahead.”

There are a limited number of tickets still available for a Special Concert with world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman that will open the RPO’s 95th season on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. in Kodak Hall, with Maestro Stare conducting. Tickets for that and other Special Concerts have been available since February 8th with the purchase of a subscription package only: Broadway superstar Audra McDonald (Thursday, January 25 at 8 p.m.); rePlay: Symphony of Heroes (Thursday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m.); A Night of Symphonic Rock (Saturday, April 28 at 8 p.m. at the Kodak Center for Performing Arts); and Michael Grandinetti - Illusionist (Friday, May 11 at 8 p.m.)

To celebrate the start of single ticket sales, the RPO is offering a “Buy One, Get One at 50% Off” deal for two series openers. Buy one Grieg’s Piano Concerto & Cinderella Philharmonics Series opener (Thurs., September 21 at 7:30 p.m. & Sat., September 23 at 8 p.m. with Ward Stare and Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan) orA cELLAbration: The music of Ella and more Pops Opener (Fri. & Sat., September 15 & 16 at 8 p.m. with Jeff Tyzik, singer Carmen Branford, jazz vibist Joe Locke, and more) and get a second ticket at half price. Offer good through August 2, zones 1 and 2 only. Use promocode RPOBOGO50.

Because 2016/17 ticket sales were the strongest they have been since the 2007/08 season and included several sell-outs, interested ticket buyers should be prepared to buy as soon as possible for the best seats. Subscription sales for the 2017/18 Season are already within almost 90% of revenue goals, with revenues 2% ahead of last season.

“We’re proud of all the hard work that has gone into our ticketing success, but at the same time, we know that ticket sales cover only 40 percent of our overall operating costs,” explains RPO President & CEO Ralph Craviso, “For that additional support, we reach out to the community we serve –a community that takes pride in its world-class orchestra and all that it adds to our quality of life.”

A $200,000 End of Season Challenge has beenmade possible by six dedicated donors who will give $2 for every dollar donated through August 1st, up to $200,000 for a total of $300,000 in support. The Challenge comes as the RPO nears the end of one of its most exciting and successful seasons ever, with a 20% increase in tickets sales, six completely sold-out concerts, and more than 5,200 first-time RPO concert-goers. The Orchestra is also within an arms-length of reaching its lofty Annual Fund goal by the 2016/17 season’s end, and is looking to the community for help with the last few steps. Find out more at rpo.org/donate.

Philharmonics Season Finale: Carmen in Concert (May 24 & 26): Special concert production of Bizet’s opera conducted by Ward Stare

The nine-concert 2017/18 Pops Series also includes:

HarryPotter and the Sorcerer’s StoneTM in Concert (November 3 & 4): Relive the magic of the film in high-definition on a 40-foot screen while hearing the RPO – led by Harry Potter Film Concert Series Producer/Conductor Justin Freer – perform John Williams’ unforgettable score.

Gala Holiday Pops (December 21 – 23): Jeff Tyzik is joined by the Festival High School Chorale and singer Denzel Sinclaire.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrialin Concert(January 12 & 13): Film on the big screen with John Williams’ Academy Award®-winning score performed live.

Classical Mystery Tour: 50th Anniversary of the White Album (June 1 & 2): Celebrate the 50th of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as well, with Jeff Tyzik.

Single tickets for five Sunday Matinee and four OrKIDStra Series concerts also go on sale next Friday, as do four Holiday concerts. For a complete schedule, please visit rpo.org.

A wide range of subscriptions are still available. They offer best seats, lowest ticket prices, free ticket-exchange privileges, priority access to RPO Special Concerts, and other valuable benefits including dining discounts.

(Single Tickets on Sale July 28, continued)

The 2017/18 Season is presented by Rochester Regional Health and the Dawn and Jacques Lipson Cancer Institute. The Philharmonics Series is sponsored by M&T Bank; the RPO Pops Series is sponsored by Canandaigua National Bank & Trust and Wegmans. RPO performances are also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by Monroe County; the City of Rochester; the Alfred Davis and Brunhilde Knapp Artists Performance Fund; the Mozart Performance Fund: Sarah D. Atkinson, M.D. and Steven Hess; and the Katherine T. and Jon L. Schumacher Orchestra Musician Soloist Fund.

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its founding in 1922. The RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a year, serving up to 170,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. 12th Music Director Ward Stare joins the ranks of former notable RPO music directors, including Eugene Goossens, José Iturbi, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his 23-year tenure with the RPO. With Michael Butterman as Principal Conductor for Education and Community Engagement (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) – the first endowed position of its kind in the country – the RPO reaches more than 16,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children.

Media please note: High-resolution images of 2017/18 concerts are available at http://ow.ly/m3P3308INu4 and upon request, and interviews and photo/footage opportunities can be arranged.